Ham and Butter Bean Soup (Printable)

Southern-inspired soup with smoky ham, butter beans, and fresh herbs, perfect for a comforting meal.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb smoked ham hock or diced ham

→ Legumes

02 - 2 cups dried butter beans or 3 cans (15 oz each) butter beans, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
08 - 2 cups water

→ Herbs & Seasonings

09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
11 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish
12 - 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
13 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
14 - Salt to taste

→ Optional

15 - Hot sauce for serving
16 - Crusty bread for serving

# How-To Steps:

01 - If using dried butter beans, soak them overnight in plenty of cold water. Drain and rinse thoroughly before use.
02 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat a splash of oil over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add the ham hock or diced ham, soaked butter beans or canned beans, chicken broth, water, bay leaves, thyme, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or 45 minutes if using canned beans. Stir occasionally until beans are tender and flavors meld.
06 - Remove the ham hock from the pot and shred the meat. Return shredded meat to the pot and discard the bone and excess fat. Remove and discard bay leaves.
07 - Stir in parsley and chives. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle into bowls and serve hot, garnished with extra fresh herbs and a dash of hot sauce if desired. Accompany with crusty bread.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The soup actually tastes better the next day when the flavors have had time to know each other.
  • It fills your kitchen with a smell that makes people ask what you're cooking before they even arrive.
  • You can make it with either dried or canned beans depending on whether you remembered to plan ahead.
02 -
  • If you skip soaking dried beans, they'll take almost twice as long to cook and some will split open while others stay hard; it's worth the overnight wait.
  • Adding the fresh herbs at the very end instead of at the beginning makes a visible and tasting difference, they stay vivid instead of fading into the broth.
03 -
  • Don't rush the initial softening of your onion, carrot, and celery; those five to seven minutes are when the real flavor building happens.
  • If your ham hock comes out of the pot and there's mostly fat with very little meat, you probably got a tough piece, but it still did its job flavoring the broth.
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